by Debbie White
“Jack! Are you ready to come home, dear?”
“Yes, I’ve been calling your cell.”
“I’m sorry. We’re just finishing up breakfast here. Has Michael made it in to see you already?”
“Yes, and I’m cleared to resume my duties as your loving husband.”
Annie sniggered. “Okay, then let me get dressed, and we’ll come get you.”
“We’ll?”
“I had your dad bring us over, so I don’t have the car. I’ll get your dad to bring me to the hospital.”
“Okay, see you in a bit.”
Annie hung up the phone and then turned around. All eyes and ears were on her. She smiled and then brushed her hair back onto her shoulders. “That was Jack. He’s ready to come home …” she sputtered, feeling a bit embarrassed with all the attention on her right then.
Robert stood. “Okay, let’s go get him.”
“I need to get dressed first. If you all could finish feeding Ashton, I’ll run up to the room to change and get our things.” She bolted out of the room and took two stairs at a time. She pushed open the bedroom door and quickly changed.
“Now, take it easy, Jack,” Robert said, helping him into the car.
“I’m good, Dad, really,” Jack said.
Robert shook his head. “Boy, you’re so hardheaded. You must have gotten that from your mother’s side.”
Jack shot his dad a puzzled look and then broke out into a sudden and happy laugh.
Robert helped them inside, and after he left, they put Ashton in his playpen to play.
“It’s so good to be home,” Jack said, pulling Annie in for a kiss. His lips brushed against hers lightly, sending chills up her spine and the hairs on her arms to stand. He’d only been away from her for a day, but it felt like more. She kissed him back, barely gazing at his lips. After a few moments, she applied feather light pressure to let him know she enjoyed it, and didn’t want him to stop. He pulled her into his embrace tighter now, brushing his hands through her hair and rubbing her arms in an up and down motion. He held her back for a moment, gazing hard into her eyes. He dropped his voice to a whisper. “I love you, Annie.”
“I love you, too.” She moved closer, their lips once more touching. The mere presence of him caused her stomach to clench tight.
“I’ll always love you, no matter what. I hope you know that.” He dropped a kiss on her forehead.
“In sickness and health, that’s what our vows said. I will honor them until the day I die.” She gazed lovingly into his eyes.
He brushed back the strand of hair that fell across her eye and then cupped her head with his hands. He leaned in and then hesitated briefly. She inched closer toward him, taking in his sweetness. They moved in at the same time, their lips touching. She let out a soft moan when he pressed her mouth open. She accepted his hunger as she weaved her hands through his hair, holding on to him like the anchor he was to her.
Chapter Nine
The hurricane spared Charleston, and except for several inches of rain, which caused some minor flooding, the city bounced back fairly quickly. The bakery, as well as several businesses along the downtown area, had lost power, which resulted in the necessity to toss out a few perishable items, but overall, Sweet Indulgence came out of the storm unscathed.
Sweet Magnolia, the Powell residence, not so much. The cleanup took several days and consisted of many downed tree limbs and some debris which had blown in from outer areas. Jack even found a fender to some car, from who knows where, stuck up high in a tree branch. Both Annie and Jack were surprised, but very happy that the magnolia where they had taken their vows still stood stately and strong. Not one single limb had come down during that storm. Unfortunately, Lady Powell suffered quite a bit of damage.
“Oh, Jack, I’m so sorry,” Annie said, nodding toward Lady Powell, whose bottom half had sunk due to a hole the size of a watermelon found on her stern.
Jack brushed his hand through his hair. “This is going to cost big bucks to fix.”
“Is it fixable?”
“I think so, but who knows? The boat shop will be able to tell us.”
“Don’t worry, Jack. If she can’t be repaired and made seaworthy, we’ll buy a new boat. Our insurance should cover that.”
“Oh, yeah, it will. It’s just that this boat has so many memories …”
Annie wrapped her arms around his waist. “I know.” She nuzzled his neck, recalling their steamy kisses and much more on that boat.
“I’ve taken this boat clear down the intercoastal waterway to Myrtle Beach and beyond.”
Annie nodded. “And we’ve had some great times in this boat,” she said, urging him to remember along with her.
“And fishing trips—Richard and my dad … well, we’ve been fishing from one end of this bay to the other.”
“I know, Lady Powell means the world to you. Remember when we took Grandmother and Auntie on their first trip?”
“And during some of my deepest sorrows, this boat has brought me many hours of joy and happiness.”
“Okay, I get it, Lady Powell has been there for you when no one else has, but she’s pretty special to me, too,” Annie said, clearly irritated with Jack.
Jack raised a brow and stared hard at Annie. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say someone was jealous of my relationship with her,” he said, nodding toward the boat.
Annie sputtered a word or two before she got going. “No … not … at … all. It’s just that for a second, I felt like I was attending some wake or funeral. She is a boat.”
Jack overexaggerated a gasp and his hand flew to his mouth. “Just a boat?” He let out a loud roar of laughter and then pulled her in close for a hug.
“Jack Powell, you’re messing with me.”
“You’re darn right I am. And if you’re going to make it so easy to fall into my trap, I’ll do it every time.” He kissed her forehead, then held her back and stared into her eyes. “You know I love you and Ashton more than Lady Powell, don’t you?”
Annie let her gaze fall. “Yes,” she whispered.
“Okay, then, let’s go back to the house. I have a few calls to make so we can decide the fate of the old girl. Maybe it’s time to get a new boat and make all new memories,” he said, leading the way back toward the house on the hill, Sweet Magnolia.
The huge towboat came and fetched Lady Powell out of the water. Annie stayed on the porch with Ashton and the dogs. Jack slowly made his way to the house, his head hanging low. Annie gulped the lump down in her throat, her pulse rising a bit in anticipation of what she’d say to him.
“She’s gone,” he said, making his way up the steps. He held out his arms and took Ashton.
“I’m sorry, babe. Maybe they can repair her. We’ll wait for final word.”
To keep busy, Jack went back to work at the woodshop, and Annie to the bakery. Milly picked up right where she’d left off in terms of watching Ashton for them. Annie found herself becoming less involved with the day-to-day operation of Sweet Indulgence. She’d hired wonderful staff and they were performing great. She’d pop in a couple of days a week, but truth be told, they’d just as soon wish she weren’t there. “Sometimes, the boss can hinder job performance,” she overheard one of them saying. And with Betsy cutting her hours back to almost nothing to care for Grandmother and Auntie, Annie almost felt like a stranger in her own bakery.
“Greetings, everyone,” she said, waving to Peter in the kitchen.
“Hey, Ms. Annie,” Toby said.
“Hello, Toby. Just you today? Where’s Keith at?” She didn’t even know who was on the schedule these days.
“Peter has him scheduled to come in later today.”
Annie nodded as she made her way around the counter. “Has it been slow today?”
“A little. It will pick up later when the college kids come in. They sleep later.” A wide-toothed grin spread across his face.
Annie stepped into the kitchen. She took in the wonderful smell
of flour, sugar, and baked goodies. “I love the smell of cupcakes,” she said, peering into the ovens.
“Chocolate chip, banana crème, and my new favorite, heath.” Peter continued to mix ingredients, not looking up at Annie.
“Heath?”
“It’s a vanilla based batter with little bits of toffee and chocolate. The icing is a butterscotch crème. It’s really popular.”
“Did you come up with this new flavor all by yourself?”
Peter stopped cleaning off the beaters and slowly rose. Squaring his shoulders, he smiled. “Yep.”
“Brilliant,” Annie said.
“I wanted to ask you about hiring some more workers,” he said.
“Oh?”
“Keith can’t work as many hours anymore. He’s on the schedule for ten this week, and six next. Toby and I have been covering counter duty.”
“That’s not good. Okay, let’s run another ad. Do you want me to set up interviews?” She surprised herself by falling into the employee, and not the boss, frame of mind. “I mean, I probably should set up the interviews,” she corrected.
“Whatever, no worries,” Peter said, getting back to work.
Annie felt strange about how the conversation had gone and how she felt standing in her once favorite spot in the entire world. Marriage and motherhood had changed her. She slowly made her way out of the kitchen and glanced around the bakery. Just as Toby had predicted, customers were beginning to come in. She whispered goodbye and then retreated from the bakery. Breathing heavily, she stood with her back against the brick portion of the outside and clutched her chest. A tear rolled down her face, and she quickly brushed it away. Then, she briskly walked to her parked car and drove hurriedly to Milly’s. For some unexplained reason, she had a strong yearning to see Ashton … and Jack.
Chapter Ten
“Well, this is a pleasant surprise,” Milly said, opening the door wide with Ashton on her hip.
Annie reached her arms out, and Ashton laughingly slid right into his mommy’s arms. Annie nuzzled his neck, then kissed him on the cheek. “I missed my boy,” she said, her eyes misting a little.
“Come in. Tell me how you’re feeling today. I sense a bit of an emotional roller coaster going on,” Milly said, leading the way to the kitchen.
Annie sighed loudly.
“Cinnamon and rose, or rose and lavender?”
“Either sounds delightful,” Annie said, sliding out a chair at the kitchen table and sitting down.
While the two waited for the water to boil, Milly rested her backside against the cabinetry. She tilted her head and furrowed her brows. “What’s going on, honey?”
“I don’t know. All of a sudden, I’ve lost interest in Sweet Indulgence, or maybe it’s the workers have lost interest in me. I miss Ashton while I’m there, and have trouble concentrating. Maybe I’m not the modern woman of today, after all.” Annie lowered her mouth to the top of Ashton’s head and kissed him lightly.
“These are normal feelings you’re having. Ask any new mother, and they’ll tell you.” Milly went to work preparing the cups of tea.
“I know, but this feels different. It’s as if my purpose in life has changed.”
“Maybe it has, but don’t do anything drastic.”
“I won’t,” Annie said, feeling defeated.
“Listen,” Milly brought the cups over and pulled out a chair. “Why don’t you give it a few days? Think over about what it is you really want. Talk to Jack. He’ll tell you exactly how he feels about it. Then make the decision together.” Milly brought one of the cups to her mouth and blew. “I love the smell of this lavender rose one.” She drew in a small taste.
Annie picked up her cup and copied Milly. “Cinnamon, yum.”
“I think I would be just as happy being the owner and just overseeing the cupcakery that way. I have my hands full with being a mom and wife. I don’t need to be running a business right now.” Ashton began to wiggle on his mom’s lap and tried to get down. “He’ll be walking soon. Then, you’ll have your hands full, and I don’t think that’s fair to you. You’ve raised your family, and you’ve helped with watching Crystal for Richard and Diane.”
Milly nodded her head. “True, and I have loved every minute of it.” She drew in another taste of her tea.
“We want to have another child,” Annie blurted out.
Milly put the cup down hard on the table. “Are you …?”
“No, but we’re trying.” A wide smile spread across Annie’s face.
“A little brother or sister for Ashton,” Milly said, reaching over and playfully grabbing his leg.
Ashton let out a shrill scream that made both Annie and Milly laugh.
“Well, it sounds like you know what you have to do, my dear. You’ll make the right decision.”
While Ashton played with his Cheerios on his high chair top, Annie prepared Jack’s favorite dinner. She’d just peeked in the oven, when he entered the house.
“Something smells wonderful,” he said, first kissing Ashton then hugging Annie.
“I made your favorite.”
“What’s the occasion?” He peered inside the oven and took in a deep whiff of the roast with carrots and potatoes.
Annie shrugged her shoulders. “No special occasion.”
Jack started to head back to the bedroom but stopped quickly. He placed both hands on her arms and stared deeply into her eyes. “You’re not … we’re not …”
Annie laughed and shook her head vehemently. “No, not yet, but I do want to discuss something with you.”
“Let me jump in the shower and wash off all the wood dust. Hold that thought.” He leaned in and dropped a kiss on her mouth.
“Dinner will be ready in twenty,” she yelled as he ran down the hallway.
Annie plated slices of tender roast, spoonfuls of cooked carrots and potatoes, and carried them to the table Jack made. She placed one of the plates in front of Jack. She cut up the carrots and mashed the cubes of potatoes and put them on a child’s plate and placed it on Ashton’s high chair tray.
Jack clasped his hands first, and then Annie followed. “Thank you, Father, for this food we’re about to eat, and thank you for keeping my family safe from the hurricane. Amen.”
“Amen,” Annie repeated.
Their prayers were always simple but well intended.
Jack sampled a piece of the tender meat, while Annie coaxed Ashton into eating. She finally took a bite of the food. “The meat is so tender. I bet Ashton could eat some of this, too.” She offered him a bite. He wiggled in his seat after he tasted it.
“I think he likes it,” Jack said, shoveling the food in, one bite after another.
Annie smiled. “Are you starving?”
“I didn’t get lunch today, so yes, I am.” He took another bite of the food, then leaned back in his chair. “If you keep making dinners like this, I’m going to gain weight. It’s a good thing you have a job that keeps you out of the kitchen, well, at least out of our kitchen,” he joked.
Annie drew in her bottom lip and bit down. “Well, about that …”
Jack leaned forward and put his fork down. “What happened? Did something happen to the bakery?” A worried look traversed his face as he waited for Annie to answer.
Annie swallowed down the lump that tried to take up residence in her throat, with a sip of her water. “I’ve been thinking about stepping back from the business.”
Jack nodded as he tried to follow her train of thought. “Go on.”
“They seem to be doing well without me. I’m going to hire a few more workers, though.”
“Okay,” Jack said, stretching out the word.
“I miss Ashton,” Annie blurted.
“Now, we’re getting somewhere,” Jack said, smiling.
“And we are planning on having another baby. I don’t think it’s fair to your mother … who’s raised her children, to have to raise ours, too.”
Jack cocked his head and pulled his brows
in. “Did Mom say she didn’t want to watch him?”
“No, no she’d never say that. I’m saying that. I just don’t think it’s fair to her.”
“Annie, if you want to sell the business, you can. I’m for whatever you want. You know that, right?” Jack reached over and touched her hand with his.
Annie’s eyes lowered to his hand. “I know,” she whispered.
“What do you want to do?”
“I think I’ll just be the owner. I’ll drop in once a month or so. Just so that they don’t forget about me. I’m going to make Peter supervisor, as well as a lead baker. We’ll get some more help for him so he can mainly concentrate on baking and scheduling employees. I can order the supplies for him, right here from our home computer.”
“Sounds like you’ve got it all worked out.” He laced his fingers with hers and gently squeezed her hand. “As I said, anything you want, I want it, too.”
“The other bit of news I have is regarding Mary and Danny.”
Jack withdrew his hand and began eating his dinner again.
“Aren’t you interested in what I have to say about them?”
“I already know. They want to get married and live in the cottage.”
Annie fell back against the chair and gasped. “Well … what do you think about all of that?”
“Well, I told Danny that the cottage was intended for Lilly and Patty, but since they are too stubborn about moving out of their own home, and it sits empty, why not? I did tell him that I’d have to ask you, first.” He winked at Annie as he forked another piece of the meat.
“You men, you already had it all decided. Here, Mary and I thought that we could be sneaky about something.” Annie crossed her arms over her chest as she tightened her lips.